LOL My animals are the opposite. Maverick hates it. Mikey doesn't like it much although he doesn't really need to be brushed. I think I'll dig up a soft brush to run over him occasionally. The cats love it though. Especially the soft brushes.

I go to these riding trails to hike with my dogs in the summer to give them extra workouts that they miss out on due to weather. I also go to a couple nature conservations more often which the dogs absolutly love.

We used to go camping at a place just over the Virginia line called Cave Springs. It's one of the first national parks built under Roosevelt's program, and has the old bricked paths in some places, a beautiful trail up to a lookout and a manmade lake with a weyr dam. Bear, Gonzo and O'Reilly loved to go there. It was always so cool in the summertime, and it's not near any amusement parks or tourist attractions, so it is always quiet. It's so old that the trees have grown up between the camping sites and it's nice and private with a very clean and neat bath house.

I can't convince Charley that camping is a good way to relax though. Maybe the next time he wants to take a fly-down to Florida for a couple of days I'll just pack up the dogs and go there. He wanted to go back down to Treasure Island where he lived for a couple of years over Christmas when the store would be closed for three days but didn't know what to do with the dogs. I told him to go on by himself; I don't like Florida, hate dealing with the whole miasma of flying and would rather be somewhere with the dogs anyway. I think he felt guilty about it though, because he ended up not going.

Or maybe he thought he'd come back and the dogs and I would be long gone, lol!

__________________In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves. ~Buddha

Stupid is the most notoriously incurable and contagious disease known to mankind. If you find yourself in close proximity to someone infected with stupid, walk away as soon as said infection is noted.

There are few things more nauseating than pure obedience. ~ Kvothe

***8206;"silence is the language of god, all else is poor translation."
— Rumi
Be a god. Know when to shut up.

Well, it is a beautiful day today as of 8:40 a.m. in Tennessee. I hope it will stay this way because I am going to try to talk Liz into a Brady/Jenny hike.

LOL! Now every time they let her in the front yard of their house she runs straight down to ours if my husband or I are outside because she knows we will let her in the house. She did it at 8:00 this morning when Liz's husband let her out for the bathroom. But my hubby kind of instigated that by saying Jenny's name. She runs so fast, like a greyhound. She ran full force to our house and Brady was in the backyard going nuts, because he always wants to play with her.

We are keeping her again in April. She is an easy houseguest.

__________________"You may have a dog that won't sit up, roll over or even cook breakfast, not because she's too stupid to learn how but because she's too smart to bother." - Rick Horowitz

Yes, I love hiking with my dogs. I wish I had a car so I could go to the mountains every weeked..yes even Vegas has mountains. Just pack my bag with food and water. Put the pack on Boomer, stuff the dogs in the car, and head off to the mountains. It would be great. Fresh air and serenity can do the world good.

does anyone else worry about snake bites? i always wondered what i would do. A neighbordog died from a copperhead bite. i had a teacher in biology in jr college that showed us a photo of him unawares that he was standing in a area with over a dozen copperheads..he showed us on the slide where everyone was. We saw a cottonmouth once..it hooded up just like a cobra. what do you do if your dog is bit but grab and go?

i cant wait till its gets the right weaher to go camping here. my dogs love the woods may have to do with 2 have only lived there and walker is a coonhound lol. i might gun train him this summer because i like to go skeet shooting and i can take him with me and hed love it. and the competition is in nov. so ill have plenty of time. then i can take him to the hunting camp on thanksgiving with my dad.well have fun camping everyone

I am sooooo excited! Next weekend we are taking Sunny's very first backpacking trip. He has been hiking around with me almost since we've had him (well, the first few times ended 10 mins in with him sleepy, cuddled in my jacket but anyway) and he does so well staying with us off lead on trails(very convenient when one is trying to balance over muddy spots without having to worry about tangling a leash ) . I can't wait to see how he does away from the house overnight outside. It's still waaaayyy too soon for a doggy pack but according to the vet as long as we stay on not too rocky ground he should make it okay for a few miles. My only problem: I am not sure what his little claws are going to do to my tent floor. Any suggestions? He is still too small for doggy booties unless I want to get ones he will outgrow in a day or two might socks work? Anyway I can't wait . He is the best little trail partner I have ever had and I can't wait to see how much he enjoys eating around a campfire with his favorite people.